Stronger than Bones
by Kathey Royals
Summary: When a baby is born with Vrolik's Syndrome like the helmsman of the famous Normandy ship, she proves, just like the helmsman that she's more than just a girl who can't walk right. Join Becca and Shepard's allies as they fight through the worst of things, meet a new alien species, and even experience a little love. Rated M for language and for some lemon bits.
1. Prologue

**Yay new story! I've been playing Mass Effect a lot lately and decided to finally start a fanfic for it so here are the events that happened before this all takes place**

**Shepard survives the defeat of the Reapers, what he chose will not be revealed, however EDI and the geth are still around.**

**Wrex survived the Virmire Mission.**

**Ashley was saved.**

**Everybody survived the Suicide Mission in ME2 HOWEVER Legion, Mordin, and Thane passed in ME3**

**Zaeed and Kasumi will NOT make appearances, I never got them in the game, I don't know what they're like**

**Yes Garrus will fall for the OC in this Fanfic, he's a badass and I know people who would go gay for him. I overdo it with being immune to turian skin, whatever it is that they evolved to have. She's eighteen years old, medicine can advance in that time**

**Well now that that's out of the way, I won't have a strict posting schedule, just this prologue for now. Follow the story if this peeks interest. I'll try to remember to post the first chapter really soon. I don't have a prereader for this sadly, so if anybody would like to help me with that, pm me please. I'd prefer you have a Google account, the original story is on a Google doc. Take a look at my profile for any other upcoming stories and updates on what I'm doing with other stories (If you've noticed New Heights is gone, read my profile to find out why)**

**Cover for this story will be made soon, until then my profile pic will replace it**

**I'm gonna stop keeping you guys from this, just a few notes at the bottom after this intro to the story. Its not the BEST, just warning you, the REAL story gets better. Enjoy!**

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A woman walked into the house, her face beaming. "Harry? Harry!" she called out to her husband. They had been married for three months now. A man appeared from the back room.

"Linda? Everything alright?" he asked and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm pregnant," she said and Harry's face beamed with his wife's. He pulled back and knelt down, pressing his lips to his wife's stomach.

"We'll have the perfect little one," Harry said.

~oOo~

Linda laid on the couch with her hand at her ear. "I see...thank you...goodbye." Linda hung up and tears started to slide down her face. Harry walked in.

"Linda I just about finished up the nursery, come ch- honey? What's wrong? What's the matter?" Harry sat down next to Linda and wrapped an arm around her.

"Good and bad things...We're having a girl but...she has type 4 Vrolik Syndrome," Linda said.

"Brittle Bone disease? Oh Linda," Harry hugged her tightly, minding her slightly enlarged stomach.

"They already saw broken bones in the scans, there hasn't been a case since..."

"Since the Normandy's helmsmen was born, maybe we should get her onto the Normandy or see if we can get in contact with Shepard about her."

"We'll have to try and see if it'll work out."

~oOo~

Linda and Harry stood in the Citadel in the hospitable area. It was quiet today, they were there for a check on the baby and to see if Shepard had docked on the Citadel yet.

"Any news?" Linda asked. Harry had his fingers to his earpiece listening for news. He shook his head.

"The Commander hasn't docked yet honey," Harry responded then listened carefully to his earpiece. "I stand corrected, he just docked."

"Then we need to go meet him," Linda said and they headed for the docking bay the Normandy always docked at. They managed to catch him before he passed them.

"Commander, my wife and I were wanting to speak with you..."

~oOo~

The cries of a baby filled the room, cries for her mother. Harry held his daughter, standing and bouncing his arms and swaying on his feet. Linda had complications during the baby's birth, she didn't survive sadly.

"Harry?" Shepard stood at the door of the room, Joker next to him.

"This better be good Commander," Joker said and he gimped over to Harry, seeing the baby girl.

"They said she has a case about as bad as yours Joker, its worth it," Shepard said.

"She's cute, I'll give her that," Joker said, he reached out to take the baby and he sat down on the couch in the room.

~oOo~

Shepard shoved flaming bits of the ceiling out of the way, towards the sound of a crying baby. He saw Rebecca safe under a table.

"Joker I got her, her father wasn't so lucky," Shepard said and saw the remains of Harry laying nearby, his clothes burning.

"Shit...What are we going to do about her Shepard?" Joker asked over the com. Shepard picked Rebecca up and she quieted down.

"I don't know, right now we have to save anybody we can from the colony, hang tight, I'll be back soon." Shepard stood with Rebecca cradled in one arm and his pistol in his other hand and he made a run for it back to the shuttle.

~oOo~

"We did all we could Joker, at least Rebecca is safe now," Shepard said. Joker was holding Rebecca in his arms while he sat in the flight chair.

"She needs medical care for her bones, its all focused in her legs, kinda ironic if you ask me. I bet she and I will be great friends when she gets older. I can teach her all the tricks about dealing with creaky legs," Joker chuckled a little and smiled down at Rebecca.

"You seem to have a bit of fondness for her Joker. Going soft are ya?" Shepard teased.

"Hey! When you can't walk without worrying about breaking a bone then we'll talk. All that matters is that Becca is safe and we do something about it. The only threats right now are raiders and slavers. Shouldn't be too hard to take care of her right?"

"That depends Joker, you have the Normandy to take care of as well as Becca."

"Hey I got this, and Dr. Chakwas can help me out. She went through med school, she knows a thing or two about babies and kids. Can we make a stop at the Citadel before going anywhere else Commander? I need to talk to Chakwas about what to get for Becca."

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**Ok so that's about it. And now for the notes.**

**Each chapter will have at LEAST 2000 words, trying to make things a bit more interesting and longer, other stories will have only 1000 words per chapter minimum unless said otherwise**

**Hope you guys like it and I'm open to ideas so lay them on me**

**"To review, or not to review. That is the question."**  
**-Unknown**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ok so here's the first official chapter, the story is going slow so I'll post whenever I can. Anyway, enjoy**

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**18 years later**

Gun shots could be heard in the Spectre Area of the Citadel.

"C'mon Becca! You shoot better then that!" Shepard encouraged Rebecca who threw down her pistol and leaned against her crutch and exhaled.

"I'm out of it today Commander, I give up," Becca sighed. She adjusted one of her leg braces over her pants, grabbed her other crutch, brushed a strand of brown hair away from her blue eyes, and started out of the shooting range.

"Becca, hey hey it's alright, you need a break anyway, Joker and EDI are in the Commons, go see what they're up to."

Becca headed out and to the elevator, pressing a few buttons and the elevator started down for the Commons. Soon as she arrived she looked around for Joker and spotted him sitting on a bench. She mosied on over and sat down next to him.

"Becca! I was just thinking about you kid. How was shooting with Uncle Shepard?" Joker laughed.

"Terrible...I can't aim today. I'm not cut out to be a soldier Joker," Becca said and she laid her head on his shoulder. Joker wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently, rubbing her arm.

"Listen Becca, I never let it get to me, I found that I didn't need my feet to fly a ship so that's what I did. You just need to find something that you can do. You're parents were colonists that Shepard met before you were born."

"Right...you've told me the story, doesn't hurt to hear it again." Joker smiled at Becca.

"Being colonists they weren't military. When your parents learned that you had Vrolik's Syndrome, they knew about the last one born with it. Me. So bing bang boom, they got a hold of Shepard and told him that they wanted you to be involved with me because our cases are pretty much the same, pretty sever. We couldn't wait until you were born, your parents were great, they were happy to have their first kid, but things didn't go so well. Your mom didn't make it through the birth, few weeks later after being home with your dad, the colony was raided and I got the Normandy there as quick as she could fly and just about shoved Shepard into the shuttle to save you and anybody else that survived. Soon as you were on the Normandy I took care of you with the help of Dr. Chakwas considering I can't walk right. I'm pretty much your dad, the Normandy crew is your family, and we love you for who you are." Becca sighed and looked up at EDI who stood close by.

"Eighteen years and EDI still scares me," Becca said and she grabbed her crutches and stood up. "Can you lend me some credits for food?" Joker smirked and shook his head. "Please? Please Daddy?" Becca teased and laughed.

"Alright alright, but you know the drill," Joker said and used his Omni tool and transferred one hundred credits to Becca's account. She smiled and kissed Joker's cheek before going off to the food area and bought a regular old cheeseburger and a hamburger, real ones. She stared at the two plates and sighed, moving one of the burgers onto a single plate when Joker came up behind her and took the plate before Becca had to figure out how to move it.

"Thanks," she said and they gimped over to a table and sat down.

"Hey, I don't like seeing my girl struggle," Joker said and he ruffled her hair before biting into the burger and moaning at the taste.

"Did you just...?" Becca laughed as Joker waved her off.

"I kick you in the shin if you don't keep your mouth shut." Joker pointed at Becca before taking another bite. She laughed again.

"You'd break your foot in the process Joker!"

"Yeah yeah, we don't win either way. You know, growing up around me, you're snarky kid, I like that."

"I don't know if two jokers is good or bad." They looked up at Shepard with his arms crossed.

"Well look who it is, the hardass," Becca said.

"Very funny, we're taking a trip to an uncharted area when we get back on the ship. Nothing major, just something Liara found out about on her expeditions, something about a new alien species, she wasn't there long and most likely needs backup, they have her corralled by her shuttle, but they aren't attacking. Liara isn't taking any chances so we go in and see what the fuss is about. Becca, I want you out there with us," Shepard said and Becca tensed up.

"Commander, I don't think that's a good idea," Joker said.

"We're going in unarmed, the aliens seem more animalistic. They don't react well with weapons, soon as Liara dropped hers they stole them and left her alone for the most part. They're fair about unarmed people," Shepard explained and he put his hands on the table. "Getting out into an unfamiliar area with potential danger is good training until I hear otherwise." He swung his arms straightening up and started off.

"Becca?" Joker saw she was terrified of the idea.

"I...I can't...I..." Becca started breathing heavily and quickly. Joker wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Easy Becca easy. You're ok, its just another planet with new aliens that can be reasoned with, no big deal and I'll be in your ear the whole time," he said and pulled an extra earpiece from his pocket and put it in her ear right away. Becca fixed it before gripping Joker's shirt and taking a shaky breath. "You're ok kid." He started rubbing Becca's back and looking around.

It had always been a normal thing with Becca, going through panic attacks since she was younger. Nightmares had scared her so much Joker knew exactly what was going on. PTSD had settled into her life. A majority of the time Joker was away from the Normandy controls, it was to calm Becca, nobody else ever could. Joker was the only one from the moment he took responsibility for her. She was old enough to go off on her own, but being part of the crew and being close to Joker, she didn't want to leave.

Chakwas had seen the behavior and explained to Joker one day that Becca was mentally damaged. Because of what she had dealt with as a baby, she was haunted by the day she lost her father, the flames had damaged her.

"You're ok," Joker repeated and Becca took a shaky breath again. "Its not that bad, believe me. There won't be any near death situations, that's a job for the professionals." Becca nodded and took a deep breath, not as shaky and she looked up at Joker.

"You'll be in my ear the whole time?" she asked and Joker nodded.

"I promise. I still have to listen to the Commander, he calls the shots. Anytime you need me, I'll be listening and help you out the best I can." Becca nodded.

"How am I going to walk around without crutches?" she asked and Joker smirked.

"I had the doc make an order for something special for you kid. It'll help, I promise."

"Let's get back to the Normandy, crew," Shepard said over the earpiece and Becca jumped a little.

"It's set to the channel we usually use, come on Becca," Joker said and he stood up carefully, throwing the plates out and helping Becca up.

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**And that is that, please review and have a good day.**


	3. Chapter 2

**So here's the second chapter. Not sure what to say about it besides the introduction of Cloudwisper and the Tigerssa. I'll let you guys get on with it.**

* * *

Soon as she was on, Becca went straight for the Medical Bay and was greeted by Dr. Chakwas.

"Hello Becca," Chakwas said.

"Hi doc, Joker said you had something for me on this next mission," Becca said.

"Yes, new leg braces that will help you walk around a lot better then you are now. We gave you different ones when you started walking and used the same material through the years." Chakwas pulled out the new ones from a box and Becca sat down on a medical table. Chakwas pulled the old braces off carefully and replaced them with the new ones that looked more complicated. "It'll be hard to deal with the new ones for a little while, but as long as you move around carefully, you should be ok." Becca slide to the floor carefully and with Chakwas' grip on one arm, Becca took a few careful steps around the bay.

"I'm just worried one wrong step and crack," Becca said and she heard a chuckle behind her.

"That's just about the same thing Joker said when I took over the Normandy," Shepard said and Becca rolled her eyes.

"Do you have to watch me walk around? You have Joker for that," Becca said.

"We'll be landing in a little while. Joker wanted to talk with you Becca when you're done."

"Alright, I'll be up there shortly." Becca nodded to Chakwas and she was on her own.

"This is a huge step, I'm afraid starting you off the crutches so soon will be hard on your body and your mind. I might have the Commander carry you half the time, just watch your footing down there, we don't know what the terrain is like yet," Chakwas said. Becca nodded and she started walking on her own towards the bridge.

"Hey Joker, turn around," Becca said and Joker's seat turned and his mouth dropped open.

"Look at you! How do they feel kid?" he asked and held his arms open.

"Great actually, I'm afraid of a wrong step, now I understand why you walk the way you do," Becca said.

"Yeah it'll take some getting used to, but according to the doc, they're supposed to stabilize your legs a lot better, they're stronger then mine, but I live with mine, you'll get used to it." Shepard walked up onto the bridge geared up and he smiled.

"Look at that, we have gear for you down in the shuttle bay, you ready?" Shepard asked. Becca stood up straight carefully and saluted the Commander.

"I'll do my best sir," Becca said and Shepard nodded.

"Let's go," he said and Becca followed him to the elevator and down to the shuttle bay, Shepard moving patiently at her speed.

"I'm sorry I'm slow," Becca said when she stood there waiting for Shepard to get her armor.

"Don't be sorry Becca, you're just fine. You are doing the best you can and we will work with that. Don't ever be sorry for what you have." Shepard pointed at her with a serious face then smiled at Becca's scared face. "I'm never mean to you kid, don't be afraid." Shepard laughed and pulled out pieces of armor and Becca smiled at the white coloration with black and blue.

"White tiger based, I like it, thanks," Becca said. She always loved white tigers ever since one of the crew members bought her a stuffed white tiger. "Anything else about these aliens we should know?"

"Liara will have more info about them once we're in the air on the shuttle," Shepard said and Becca nodded, loading into the shuttle and Becca sat down.

"Please tell me this'll be a smooth ride," she asked. Shepard remembered the last time Becca was in a shuttle, she ended up with fractured bones.

"That depends on what Liara has to say," Shepard said and he pressed a few buttons and Liara's face appeared.

"Thank the Goddess you're here Shepard, I did not want to do this on my own with how these aliens are acting," Liara said.

"Go ahead Liara, tell us what you can right now," Shepard said.

"Yes. They look a lot like those large felines you humans you have on Earth. Orange with black stripes," Liara explained.

"Tigers?" Becca asked.

"That's right, only they all have wings, and I have seen one every once in a while that has no orange coat at all, its only black and white, it seems to be the leader of the group here."

"Commander we need to find that tiger and learn more about it! They must be intelligent, tigers alone are independent, they don't work together and these ones do," Becca exclaimed and Shepard shook his head at her with a smile on his face.

"Who is that Shepard?" Liara asked.

"You'll meet her when we land, she's a lot like Joker though," Shepard answered and the shuttle made a smooth landing and Becca stood up, excited to see the aliens.

"Come on slow poke! Let's get a move on!" Becca said and she was off the shuttle before Shepard could give an order. She gimped over to where Liara was and held her hand out. "My name is Becca by the way, my parents knew the Commander before I was born and the Normandy rescued me when my colony was attacked. I have Vrolik's Syndrome like Joker, he's the one who raised me." Liara shook her hand and there were growls all around them.

"You weren't kidding about being surrounded, Liara," Shepard said quietly and Becca looked around.

"Those aren't a threatening growl, its communication in their language. Shepard, Liara help me down on my stomach then do the same thing," Becca said and they helped her down and got down themselves. "I've studied how tigers react to people, show you mean no harm. Even if these aliens have intelligence, they still have animalistic minds."

That's when one of the aliens came out of hiding. Liara wasn't kidding, this creature looked exactly like a Bengal Tiger, but with orange wings with black stripes on its back. It walked straight to Becca and sniffed her hair before moving down to her legs and the tiger jerked its head up, looking around at the surrounded area of trees and crying out. A white one appeared with a few orange feathers attached to its right ear appeared. The three could see that it's right leg was also made of metal.

"Two humans and an asari?" the white female asked. The orange one nodded and lowered its head. "Stand." Shepard and Liara stood and reached for Becca when the female snarled. "She can stand on her own." Becca cleared her throat and the female looked down at her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt and speak when not spoken to, but I have brittle bone disease, I can't move my legs very well," Becca said and the female's ears changed from aggression to curiosity, looking at her own metal leg. "I love how your coat shines in the sun by the way." The female smiled and nodded to Shepard and Liara and they helped her up. The female looked at Shepard closely then shook her head, walking up to him and rearing up.

"Shepard, good to see you again," she said.

"You know her Shepard?" Becca asked.

"During my time trying to stop the Reapers she was at my side," Shepard answered.

"I remember now! By the goddess its been so many years Cloudwisper!" Liara exclaimed and the female dropped to all fours.

"Sorry I didn't recognize you before Liara, and you Shepard until now. Who's the girl?" Cloudwisper asked.

"A girl the Normandy took in when she was a baby. We took her because-"

"She has Vrolik's Syndrome like Joker. I figured as much why she would be with you after saying she had it," Cloudwisper interrupted Shepard then she looked at Becca. "You must have a thing for tigers if you're here."

"Actually Shepard brought me here to get used to the whole soldier world," Becca said. "But I do have a thing for white tigers."

"Well let me bring you to where my clan prospers," Cloudwisper said and she led them through the forest around them and soon came to what looked like a city made up of shelters and a big lake.

"This is where we all live. We are called Tigerssa, Becca." Cloudwisper led them through the civilization. "We look like winged tigers and that basically sums it up, but we have intelligence and we all have different skills." They passed a few Tigerssa working with technology.

"Some have tech skills while others work with biotics." Becca saw a Tigressa using biotics, but from his mouth. "We only have our paws so using a past ancestor of mine, we learned how to harness the power and shoot the powers. Warp and Throw for example we shoot like balls of power, just like my ancestor with balls of holy light. Some use their wings." Becca saw one use her wings to attack with metal feathers at some targets.

"We are particular about weapons on our planet, but we are ready to fight whenever it must happen. We not only have out tech and biotics, we also have our combat members." Cloudwisper stood before a pit where two males were attacking each other.

"We cannot use what humans and other aliens use, so we focus on melee combat and our males are built for it like krogen are. Follow me." Cloudwisper led them to another part of the area.

"Those are our fighters for a majority of the time, we also have scientist. Having the intelligence we do, Salarians did like to have us at their sides until we returned here to our homeworld. We're not spread out like other aliens, we've become a big family and we get along. Any anger we have towards another, we hold it in, do what we are best at, and we leave feeling better than ever. Other members of the clan are also civilians." Cloudwisper moved to caves where young Tigerssa started to walk around.

Cloudwisper walked over to the little ones with their parents watching happily as Cloudwisper dropped her head and moved it back and forth in a playful manner.

"You act like one of them, but you have respect. Why is that?" Liara asked and Cloudwisper lifted her head and looked towards them.

"Because of my duty with the Commander. This planet was one of few that would've been destroyed without hesitation by the Reapers. We may be off the charts, but anybody can find us should they happen to come here. We're just outside the galaxy, Reapers coming into the galaxy would've seen this planet and come back after they succeeded in completing the cycle."

Cloudwisper looked over at the lake where some females were swimming around. "Females and those old enough to swim, male or female, help with gathering food. We eat fish as well as berries from the surrounding forest. The berries are a bit sour, but you'll get used to them. They're not harmful to any wildlife."

Cloudwisper's ears turned and she looked back to see a few males bound out of the forest, followed by two others dragging what looked like a deer. "And there are the hunters. The wildlife population is controlled by our hunters. They work as melee specialist too. Know how to fight physically before you can learn how to hunt. We work as a close knit group and we teach each other what we can."

Just then, a male Tigerssa swooped down from the skies, landing before his leader.

"Cloudwisper! Bad news, a whole ship just landed on the other side of the planet, only one had left the ship, it walks like her," the male pointed to Becca.

"Do not raise any alarm, make sure he has no weapons and lead him here. He's with the Commander here," Cloudwisper said and the male nodded, flying off. Becca watched in awe. "Commander." Cloudwisper's voice turned cold and she said the word with a warning. Becca put her hand to her ear.

"Joker what the hell? They could've attacked you!" Becca scowled.

"It got too quiet kid, had to make sure you were ok," Joker said and Becca dropped her hand, looking at Shepard.

"He's over reacting cause it got quiet, I can't believe he just set the whole Normandy down," Becca said.

"Go figure," Cloudwisper said and she led them towards another area, it looked like a throne almost. Cloudwisper jumped up onto it and laid down. "And this is my throne so to speak. The previous leader stood up here when he banished me from the planet for being a white Tigerssa. Now the clan considers me the most beautiful. They don't know why I haven't chosen a male yet. I still have time though, in my genes, my lifespan is supposed to be twice as long. We've gone from living up to twenty years in captivity to living the life span close to an asari or krogan." Cloudwisper looked down at her paws, giving one a few licks before continuing.

"Tigerssa actually stood beside the krogan as pets like the varren. Varren were the dogs, Tigerssa were the cats, but they knew we were smart. We became friends and helped the krogan in battles." Cloudwisper looked up when two males appeared flanking Joker who gimped up.

"Sorry to interrupt," Joker said and Cloudwisper smiled, standing up and jumping to the ground, sitting before Joker and holding a paw up.

"Good to see you again Joker," Cloudwisper said and Joker took her paw.

"Hey glad to see you too Cloud. And look at you! Clan leader now huh? How's it feel?" Joker asked.

"Well the clan is doing a lot better now. They see me as the most beautiful Tigerssa in existence. I'm glad to hear you've had your hands full with Becca here."

"Yeah, she's a great kid." Cloudwisper nodded to Joker and commanded the males that stood by to retrieve placemats for them and they all sat down, Shepard and Liara helping Becca and Joker to sit down.

"Well its nice that you all are here, I knew Liara would call you Shepard if we kept her here. The scouts have noticed changes in the sky when night falls. Shepard I think there's something going on, something big. Its gotta be something on my planet and I need your help. Please Shepard, I need help," Cloudwisper pleaded.

"Commander, if I may. If we see what it is that's changing something on the planet, we most likely can help," Becca said.

"Alright, we'll figure out what it is that's causing the disturbance then take action afterwards," Shepard said.

"Thank you so much! Joker, could you keep the Normandy in orbit. Shepard, Liara, and Becca, we have a watch tower that you can stay in and keep watch. I suggest you get some sleep right now, the scouts will leave you there, I'll be there later tonight around the time it starts," Cloudwisper said and the scouts led the group to the watch tower, Cloudwisper escorted Joker back to the Normandy.

"We stay put until night falls. We're safe for now, get some sleep girls," Shepard said and he laid down. Liara followed his lead after helping Becca lay down. Becca looked up at the moving clouds before closing her eyes and falling into a nightmare.

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**And that is that. I start school in a few days so I'll try to get back to the old Wednesday and Saturday posting starting next week. Please review so I can get some insight on what you guys think about this story, its one of my better ones next to The Teen Tiger. Hope to hear from you guys next Wednesday! :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Ok here's the third chapter, I'm getting no love right now though and its making me sad :(. I'm working so hard on the story and nobody seems interested. I might not work on this for a while and finish Teen Tiger Returns. I know readers want me to update that a lot so I might as well. Anyway, if anybody is reading, I won't keep you, enjoy.**

* * *

Shepard tapped Becca with the end of a pistol and she jumped awake, panting.

"Relax kid, get up, we gotta move, Cloudwisper hasn't showed up and the clan is in a frenzy," Shepard said and he helped Becca up. Liara held a pistol out to Becca and Becca took it carefully.

"Shepard I don't know about this," Becca said. Shepard put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you're scared, I know it's hard to do something like this, but we have you covered, just breathe, stay calm, and aim." Shepard slid down the ladder and looked around, his gun aimed wherever he looked. He held up two fingers and signaled that it was safe. Liara slid down the ladder but Becca stayed put. "C'mon Becca, we have to go." Becca started down the ladder carefully and Shepard and Liara kept her covered. Becca turned away from the ladder and she looked around. "Alright, we tread silently. Becca stay behind us and move to cover when I say so, let's go."

After they walked for a while, Shepard stopped and aimed carefully. He looked back and nodded to Becca who took cover behind a tree and she watched. Becca saw Cloudwisper laying in a small opening, she wasn't moving however and Shepard ran forward.

"She's still alive, something attacked her," Shepard observed and he looked around. Becca looked forward and froze. There stood a large alien that Becca wasn't familiar with. It seemed to growl before grabbing her and bounding off. Becca's pistol fell from her hand and she screamed with fear and pain. "Becca!" Becca heard Shepard's voice, but the air was knocked from her lungs and she couldn't yell for him.

~oOo~

"Shepard, I do not think Joker is going to be very happy about this," Liara said.

"No, that looked like a Yahg though, we need to get Cloudwisper and any other Tigerssa to the clan base then we'll have a little talk with Cloudwisper," Shepard said.

~oOo~

"You WHAT?!" Joker shouted.

"I know you're upset Joker, but you need to stay calm," Shepard said calmly.

"The hell with that! Becca was taken by a Yahg, who knows what it'll do to her, she probably already has broken bones from him grabbing her! We need to get out there and find her!" Joker retaliated.

"Joker! Shepard! Enough!" Cloudwisper snapped. "I had no idea there were Yahg on our planet. I will do everything I can to help you."

"Oh no you don't. How do we know you aren't just lying about not knowing?" Joker asked.

"My wings twitch when I lie," Cloudwisper said flatly. Her wings did in fact, stay still when she said she had no idea.

"What do we do now?" Liara asked.

"My hunters found where the Yahg was hiding, but the trail ends there. There was evidence of a ship being here. Either the Yahg finished their spaceship, or they're working with somebody," Cloudwisper said.

"Then we do what we've done when fighting the Reapers," Shepard said.

"You don't mean..."

"Its time to get in contact with our old friends."

~oOo~

Becca was thrown down and she held back a scream of pain.

"We got her boss," a krogan said.

"Good, the last remaining member of the colony we targeted," a Batarian said. A few krogan tied Becca's wrists and ankles together, tears ran down her face when they tightened the bonds around her ankles. "Well well, been years since somebody was born with Vrolik's Syndrome."

"The Normandy pilot was the last one before this one," another krogan said.

"Well the Yahg said she was with Shepard, he'll most likely be looking for her soon, we need to move back to the base and leave no trace behind, we sell this shuttle and stay low, you boys go back to Tuchanka, I can handle the girl," the batarian said. They flew for some time and Becca kept quiet, gasping with pain when the shuttle bumped.

It wasn't long until the krogan dragged Becca off the shuttle and soon to a cell. There were no windows and they left Becca in there. They left her a cup of water and strange food. She ate and drank silently, then sat in a corner, she wasn't able to move very well. She kept her face hidden and hoped that Shepard would find her.

~oOo~

"You think this will work Shepard?" Cloudwisper asked. She had gone onto the Normandy with Shepard and Liara.

"I hope so Cloud, Becca means a lot to this crew, Joker especially. We need to find her and we'll need all the help we can get," Shepard said. He put his hands on the bar and looked at the galaxy map. "EDI, send a message to all our previous allies that helped us with the Reapers."

"I will need a full list Shepard," EDI said over the comm and Cloudwisper took over.

"Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Ashley Williams, Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy, Urdnot Grunt, Jack, Jacob Taylor, Miranda Lawson, James Vega, and Javik," Cloudwisper said.

"Right away Cloudwisper," EDI said.

"You've had many allies, only so many survived the war," Cloudwisper said up to Shepard. She reared up and put her front paws on the bar. "Listen Shepard, I'll help you any way I possibly can, I still have my armor program on the leg, I still have my powers Shepard. The clan will be alright without me."

"If that's what you want, then I won't say no. You have great tracking skills and you've always been a great ally and friend," Shepard said and he scratched Cloudwisper behind the ear and she purred.

"And a great pet," Cloudwisper joked and Shepard laughed.

"Commander, everybody has responded and they are all ready to fight, they will meet us at the Citadel," EDI said and Shepard nodded.

"Looks like they're all ready to help, everybody is loyal to you Shepard," Cloudwisper said.

"Joker, set a course for the Citadel," Shepard said and he stroked Cloudwisper. "Come on Cloud, you should see the changes to my quarters."

The two went to the elevator and up to Shepard's quarters, Cloudwisper gasped. She smiled what was under the fishtank. The tank was full of fish, but there on the floor was what looked like a dog bed with black and white stripes. Cloud stepped onto it and she purred at how soft it was.

"That isn't the only thing, is it?" Cloudwisper asked and Shepard pointed to the display case where Cloudwisper saw a model of her metal leg. "You...you actually got a model of this thing?" Cloudwisper held up her metal leg and Shepard shrugged, his arms crossed. Cloudwisper smiled and walked over to Shepard, rearing up and putting her front paws on his shoulders and laying her head against his chest. Shepard hugged her tightly.

"I've missed having you around Cloud," Shepard said and Cloudwisper purred.

"I wish I could stay with you forever Shepard, but I have a clan to lead. You're welcome there anytime after this mess is finished with," Cloudwisper said. "I'll have communication towers set up so you can radio ahead."

"Thank you Cloud," Shepard said and Cloudwisper dropped to all fours.

"Now let's find Becca," Cloudwisper said and she rubbed against Shepard as she passed to go to the elevator. She sat down quietly and waited for Shepard who shook his head at her and they returned to the CIC floor of the Normandy.

"Commander, ETA five minutes," Joker said over the comm.

~oOo~

Shepard saw those who were sent the message and Cloudwisper and Liara stood at his sides. He shook hands with everybody there and he stood before them.

"EDI mentioned somebody named Becca in the message Shepard, who is she?" Tali asked.

"I want you all to board the Normandy then we'll talk. I hope that you all will help me with this," Shepard said and the group followed him onto the Normandy and they all stood in the conference room around the table, Shepard at one end and Cloudwisper on the other, everybody else surrounding it.

"I'll start with explaining who Becca is. Rebecca Stref is a teenager, but eighteen years ago we saved her from her colony when it was raided. She was born with Vrolik's Syndrome, before her was Joker. When we saved her, Joker took responsibility of her. A few hours ago we were on Cloudwisper's home planet. Something was going on. We were investigating it when a Yahg took her. Cloudwisper sent hunters to track down where the Yahg went, they found where he was hiding, but no sign of him. Either the Yahgs built their ship or this one is working for somebody," Shepard explained.

"You mentioned her colony was raided. What if they were after the survivors of the colony. There had been kidnappings of people from a colony that actually had been raided eighteen years ago," Garrus said.

"And how do you know this?" Cloudwisper asked.

"I've been keeping track of reports in C-Sec," Garrus replied.

"Sounds like fun," Wrex said and Garrus chuckled.

"Forward those reports to EDI please," Shepard said and Garrus messed with his omni tool.

"Shepard, Garrus' reports show that those that were kidnapped were members of the same colony that Becca was born in," EDI said over the comm and Shepard nodded.

"Witnesses say they saw krogan taking people from the Citadel, they're in green and white armor so they say," Garrus explained. "I've tried to talk to guys like that, but all I get is guns shooting at me and then I lose them."

"You did your best Garrus, they know you, maybe if you try you can get yourself kidnapped and end up with Becca," Cloudwisper said.

"Side plan for now Cloud. What matters is we all do our best with everything and we reconnect," Shepard said and he looked towards Jack, smiling at her and she winked back.

"Save it for personal time you two," Cloudwisper joked and she nodded to everybody and they all left the room. Shepard walked out with his arm around Jack's waist, Garrus stayed behind however. "Something wrong Garrus?"

"I was pondering your plan, it could work. We set me up with a hidden camera, gps, and a wire and you keep an eye on everything going on and where I go," Garrus said.

"That is a good idea, but you're thinking how humans think with wires and such. It'll work though, long as they don't find them," Cloudwisper said.

"How soon would we be able to do that?" Garrus asked.

"You seem ready to help, almost like you're desperate," Cloudwisper observed and Garrus sighed.

"Alright alright, I admit it. I met Becca a few years back, Joker said to wait until she was old enough to date, ie eighteen. I just...I want to save her...see her again," Garrus said and Cloudwisper nodded, smiling.

"I won't stop you, seeing as Joker is so protective of her, you should've seen him when he found out Becca was taken, scarier then an angry krogan," Cloudwisper said and Garrus laughed with her. "I'll get the equipment and we'll send you there and EDI, don't say a word about this plan, understand?"

"My lips are sealed, so to speak," EDI said over the comm and Garrus nodded.

"Should only be a few days, for now, go take care of calibrations like you always do," Cloudwisper joked and Garrus chuckled before walking off. Cloudwisper looked up and her ear twitched. "EDI we have a few things to discuss, can you come by the conference room please?"

EDI walked in and Cloudwisper sat down. "I'm here to assist you in any way I can."

"I need a small camera that can be hidden, I need you to hook up the GPS in Garrus' omni tool with mine so I can keep track of where he is and make sure he has audio feed twenty four seven," Cloudwisper said and EDI nodded.

"I'll place an order right away for the camera and I'll have Garrus do that right away," EDI said and she walked out. Cloudwisper exhaled and she walked over to a corner and she laid down, laying her head on her actual paw, her metal one pulled up a small screen and she watched what was on the screen, keeping an eye on her clan.

* * *

**And there you go. Little plot twist and such. This is just a set up for the BIG major issue. Hope you guys liked this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 4

**So I'm sorry I lied. School has been taking up a lot of my time, I totally forgot to update Wednesday. Here's the next chapter, I'll be working on the stories this weekend and get you guys your updates!**

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Becca shook as the door opened and the same food and a glass of water were left for her and the door closed again. She looked up and tried to stand, her knees gave out on her and she heard a loud crack.

"Shit!" she yelled when she hit the floor and she flipped over onto her back. She pulled her armor off and threw it aside and could see that her knee had just broken, the braces she was wearing were damaged. "God damnit." She mumbled and pulled one of the braces off and she examined it. She messed with it when the door opened behind her and she looked back.

"What the hell are you doing?" a krogan demanded.

"Fixing my brace! You ruffians broke them and my knee just broke!" Becca snapped back and the krogan snorted.

"They weren't kidding about glass bones, you need tools to fix those and the boss needs you alive for a while longer, I'll be nice but just this once," the krogan said and he walked out, closing the door behind him. Becca rolled her eyes and turned back to it when the door opened back up and a few hand tools were tossed next to her. Becca looked over her shoulder and the krogan crossed his arms and watched Becca.

She picked up a few tools and stared at the brace on her lap. Something snapped in her brain and she began working on the brace, fixing it like new. She did the same with the other one then replaced the braces around her legs, her knee popping back into place and she held back a scream, grunting with pain.

"Tough kid," the krogan said and he took the tools back and locked the door behind him. Becca sighed and pulled herself to where the food was left and she ate and drank the glass of water and she pulled herself back to the corner.

"Shepard better hurry," Becca mumbled to herself and she messed with her braces to make them more comfortable and she laid down fully, listening for any sound before closing her eyes and falling back into her nightmares.

~oOo~

"You sure this will work Cloud?" Garrus asked. Cloudwisper was messing with her omni tool and checking everything to make sure it was all working.

"The equipment works, now its just the matter of pissing these guys off enough to get yourself captured," Cloudwisper said and Garrus nodded. Cloudwisper watched as Garrus picked a fight with a few of the group and he was knocked out cold.

"Teaches you to mess with the Briair Drags," somebody said. Cloudwisper picked it up through the audio feed and she gasped. Briair Drags, short for Briair Dragons when Cloudwisper's ancestor was part of a dragon group. Dragons were extinct now however, every last breed. Or so everybody thought.

This was a merc group and they were named after the Briairs, the breed's scales were green and white just like the group's armor. Cloudwisper didn't know why she never noticed it when Garrus mentioned it.

"I hope this works," she said and watched the group load Garrus onto a shuttle and they were gone, most likely going to their main ship then to their base. Cloudwisper ran back to the Normandy and ignored Shepard's questions, saying she had things to do and that Garrus had business on the Citadel and wouldn't be available to help with future assignments.

~oOo~

Becca opened her eyes when the door opened and she saw them drag a turian into the room and left him in the opposite corner and they left him there. Becca looked at him closely and she recognized the small device over his left eye.

"Garrus?!" Becca exclaimed and he stirred.

"Boy did that hurt," Garrus moaned and he jumped when Becca said his name again. "Becca!" he moved over to her and hugged her close and she started crying.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you Garrus," Becca cried and she hugged him back.

"Anything broken?" Garrus messed with a few things and ran his omni tool over her legs and grimaced at the results. "You have a shit ton of fractures and your knee is dislocated."

"I knew the knee would need to be taken care of."

"I'm here now, don't worry. Cloudwisper is pretty smart, hopefully they can find us." Becca looked up at him, her heart sputtered a little bit and she blushed. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know, I just..." Becca kept quiet.

"You can tell me anything Becca," Garrus said.

"I've had this huge crush on you for a while...I don't know how you feel about that," Becca sighed.

"Are you kidding? Joker yelled at me a few years ago and said to wait until you were eighteen before I tried anything with you."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not joking at all." Garrus smiled at her.

"Wipe that smile off your face." Becca joked and she reached up and touched the scars on the right side of his face. She tried to push herself up, but her legs wouldn't allow it. "And bring that beautiful face of yours down here." Garrus still smiled and he lowered his head. Becca kissed the scars and she looked at his face. Garrus reached up and he laid his hand against Becca's face. Their foreheads touched and Becca closed her eyes. She opened them after a moment and she kissed Garrus. Becca had no idea why she did so, she felt it was right and Garrus smiled.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long now," he said in a husky voice.

"Watch what you do, they could come in at any second," Becca warned.

"I know how mercs work. They guard the room and don't come back in after the final meal which was what that was. Long as we don't make any noise they won't come in," Garrus said. He leaned in again and they kissed. Becca pulled back a bit and smirked.

"You know, with the latest technology and medicines I'm immune to thulium. Chakwas' personal vaccine," Becca said and Garrus hummed in approval.

"I think I'm going to like this," he said.

"I should hope so," Becca replied and they kissed again.

An alarm went off and the two jumped apart. Garrus stared at the door for a moment before standing up and walking closer to it. He looked down at Becca's armor and pushed it over to her with his foot and continued closer to the door. Becca didn't argue and she replaced her armor the best she could. Using the wall, she managed to stand, keeping her weight off her right leg. Becca looked around when she heard something that sounded like the base was being shot at.

"Blue Suns are attacking! I repeat, Blue Suns are attacking! Get the human and turian out of here and to the next hideout now!" somebody shouted over the intercom.

"Is it normal for merc groups to have wars against each other?" Becca asked.

"Usually yes, they're not always friendly with each other," Garrus answered. "I remember when the Blue Suns, the Blood Back, and the Eclipse all worked together to take me out when I was on Omega years ago. Its how I got the scars on my face. Thanks to Shepard's skills with tech and a gun, I made it out alive."

"That when you called yourself Archangel?" Becca asked and Garrus nodded. Becca smiled. "Well, you're my Archangel now." Garrus chuckled and the door flew open, Garrus took a few steps back.

"We're moving you two. Stay in line and nobody gets hurt understand?" the krogan said. Garrus nodded and walked over to Becca. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I can't walk right, my knee snapped," Becca said and she threw an arm over Garrus' shoulders and used him as a support.

"Whatever, you better keep up," the krogan warned and they walked out to a shuttle. Once they were in the air Garrus stayed by Becca's side the whole time. Becca shook next to Garrus, hoping they would survive this whole thing.

~oOo~

"Becca's alive, that's a good thing at least," Cloudwisper mumbled to herself, she smiled at the thought of Garrus and Becca together. "I'm glad Garrus has finally found happiness, Becca as well. Garrus was always the protective type, he'll to whatever it takes to keep becca safe, I just know it."

Cloudwisper watched through Garrus' eyes as he stared at Becca, keeping her close and protected. Cloudwisper's ear twitched and she closed the video feed and the audio feed was quiet in her ear. Tali walked in and Cloudwisper nodded to her respectfully.

"How are things on the home planet Tali?" Cloudwisper asked and Tali sat down on the floor next to her. She no longer wore the suit.

"Great actually, over the years the quarians have adapted and our immune systems are a lot stronger now, I've always wanted to really feel a Tigerssa's coat," she said and Cloudwisper smiled.

"Go right ahead. We may have intelligence, but we love being pet and given love on an ownership level," she said and purred when Tali stroker her neck.

"Well, you do have a soft coat, what is it exactly?" Tali asked.

"Its fur, but it has more of a velvet texture to it, that's why its so soft. Humans had a species of rabbit with fur like this. Rex Rabbits I believe," Cloudwisper said and she heard a bump in her ear and the same ear twitched. She looked towards the door and Joker came through. "Joker? I thought you were flying the Normandy, you never just randomly leave your post."

"EDI has it under control, now I want to know the real reason why Garrus is gone and why he's not answering his comm," Joker said and he crossed his arms. Cloudwisper sighed and looked at Tali before answering.

"He's with Becca," she said and looked back up at Joker.

"He's what?!" Joker exclaimed.

"Shh! I sent him up so I can keep track of him and of Becca. She has fractures in her legs and her knee was popped out of place so she'll need medical attention when we get her back," Cloudwisper said. "Her braces also need fixing too, the mercs broke them. It looks like she tried fixing them. If Shepard finds out we did this behind his back he'll have my head for sure. So Joker, you, Tali, and EDI have to keep this a secret, understand?" Tali nodded and Joker already figured EDI was in on it, he nodded anyway.

"Alright, as long as she comes back to us in one piece," Joker said.

"Garrus will make sure of it I'm sure. Becca isn't a little girl anymore, she's grown up now. She may rely on the crew, but she's still independent and allowed to so what she wants Joker," Cloudwisper said, hinting on more than just Becca's safety.

"Right...I won't stop her from doing whatever she wants to do, no matter how crazy it is," Joker exhaled and gimped out of the conference room. Cloudwisper pulled up the video feed and Tali watched with her.

"That's Becca?" Tali asked and Cloudwisper nodded.

"Looks like they made it to the next hideout, Blue Suns attacked the one she and Garrus were in before," Cloudwisper answered.

"So who kidnapped her?"

"A merc group called the Briair Drags. They represent a breed of dragon that was around before the dragons went extincted. Briair Dragons were green and white, they were also the good guys, but something about these mercs is odd. Why represent a dragon breed that was good, not evil?"

"What if their intentions aren't what we think?"

"They killed a whole colony eighteen years ago, the same one that Becca was rescued from. Becca was the only survivor thanks to the Normandy crew."

"Then they must be hiding something."

"I hope your right."

* * *

**Oooooook...so much drama! Anyway, I'm really really sorry I didn't post sooner. It might just be every Saturday I post. With school and all that, I'm gonna be swamped with stuff. So see you guys next Saturday.**


	6. Chapter 5

**So here's the next chapter. Hope to get some reviews for this. I know the rated M parts haven't come up yet unless you count the swearing lol. Sorry for it being late, was swamped last weekend. Anyway I'll let you guys get on with this.**

* * *

The mercs led Becca and Garrus to a new cell and locked them inside. Once they were alone, Becca spun around and hugged Garrus tightly.

"I'm scared Garrus," Becca whispered, she shook and Garrus felt it.

"Its ok Becca, Shepard will find us, I know he will," Garrus said and he looked back at the door before he swung Becca into his arms and walked her over to the farthest corner from the door and he set her down, sitting next to her.

"I don't even know where we are, I doubt Shepard would," Becca said.

"It won't be long until he raises hell on those wings of his. The technology he has could stop even the Reapers."

"What?" Becca looked at him confused and he winked at her. A secret message. Wings of his, stop even the Reapers. Becca gasped. "You're wired?" Garrus nodded. Wings, little wing. Tech to stop the Reaper, the Crucible. Becca knew from stories where they were.

~oOo~

Cloudwisper barged through Liara's office.

"Liara! I know where Becca is! Where was it you found the Crucible blueprints?" Cloudwisper panted.

"Ruins on Mars," Liara said and she gasped. "Garrus is with her isn't he? He gave you some kind of code message."

"Yeah, raising hell on his wings with technology that could stop even a Reaper. Hell on wings meaning Little Wing, ie you and tech to stop a Reaper as in the Crucible. You found the blueprints for the Crucible. We need to hurry!" Cloudwisper ran out and into the elevator, hitting the button to go up to the CIC and she ran to the bridge. "Joker set a course for Mars, we found Becca!"

"What about Shepard?" Joker asked.

"He'll have my head remember, just go!" Cloudwisper commanded and Joker nodded.

"If Shepard threatens my job I'm blaming you," Joker said and he set a course for Mars.

"He won't know until we're already there, he's busy with Jack in his quarters," Cloudwisper said in an amusing tone.

"Oh gross!" Joker joked and he laughed. Cloudwisper laughed with him and headed up to the platform in front of the Galaxy map that changed from a hologram of the Normandy. She put her front paws on the bar and sighed. Her ear turned back towards the elevator door opening and she turned her head, seeing Grunt and Wrex walk through.

"You'd never be able to beat me in a fight tank bred," Wrex said.

"Is that a challenge?" Grunt challenged.

"Guys. What the hell are you arguing about?" Cloudwisper asked, she dropped to all fours and faced them.

"The tank bred thinks he can beat me in a fight when he clearly has lost to me before," Wrex said.

"You guys never know. Grunt might've gotten a lot better since you guys fought. I've lost to varren before, but I've also beaten them, you never know," Cloudwisper said.

"Snow has a point Grunt," Wrex said. His scarred face looked down at the Tigerssa. "Wait a second, are those your clans feathers attached to your ear?" Cloudwisper turned her head so the feathers were closer to the krogan.

"Why yes, I guess so," Cloudwisper said sheepishly. Wrex and Grunt laughed.

"Haha! Snow's her clan's chief now!" Wrex said and he hit his fists together. "How's the homeworld been?"

"Shaping up a lot better since I took over. The whole clan sees me as the most beautiful of my kind now. They have no idea how any other white Tigerssas can be produced and they want more," Cloudwisper responded. Her ear twitched as she heard Garrus and Becca kiss. "Speaking of you two fighting, they've made changes to the War Room if you haven't seen it yet." Wrex and Grunt exchanged glances before heading through the door to Cloudwisper's left, and she knew they would be happy.

The old War Room back when Shepard was fighting the Reapers had been turned into a shooting range with a sparing ring as well. Cloudwisper stretched her front paws out and let her head fall down, her mind wandering to Becca and Garrus.

Becca was only a really young girl and Garrus had to be in his thirties now, she had no idea if that made any difference to turiens at it did to her right now. If she compared how the Tigerssa were, as soon as they were able to reproduce, females would mate with any aged male if it fit the female's standards. Cloudwisper shook her head and stretched one of her back legs out before ruffling her wings and heading down to the mess hall.

Cloudwisper found Jack behind the counter looking around for food.

"Thought you'd be up with Shepard in his quarters," Cloudwisper said and she sat to the side, watching Jack.

"Nah, I've been hiding out in the dark like I used to, there's some meat in here, want some?" Jack asked.

"Tigerssa usually cook their food before eating it, we don't eat raw meat anymore."

"Huh, well don't go bitching about how bad I cook then."

"Long as its safe for humans, its safe for me." Jack simply chuckled and started cooking the meat.

"You know, you remind me of my varren Eezo, besides the biotics that make him a badass biotic like me and short tempered."

"Shepard mentioned Eezo at some point, how is the big lug?"

"Hey he ain't no lug, he's mommy's favorite varren."

"You are really attached to that varren."

"What can I say, I rescued him and gave him all sorts of love. He's a big old softy."

Cloudwisper stretched and Jack pulled a few stripes of meat from the pan with her fingers and tossed them to the Tigerssa who snapped them out of the air and she licked her chops.

"Thanks for the snack," Cloudwisper said and she headed back to the elevator and up to the CIC, walking to the conference room and taking up the space in the corner she was laying in before. She opened up the video feed and saw Garrus looking down at Becca fast asleep with her head on his lap. She smiled and wondered if Garrus was asleep or really watching her. Her question was answered when Garrus brushed a strand of hair behind Becca's ear.

"She's so...beautiful," Garrus mused over the audio and Cloudwisper smiled.

"Cloud we've arrived, you might wanna take Tali and Liara with you," Joker said through her earpiece.

"Can do Joker, have them meet me down at the shuttle," Cloudwisper said and she closed the video feed, heading down to the shuttle bay, her metal leg clanking on the floor while her claws clicked lightly.

As she walked, her metal leg began to unravel and she was soon covered in armor. She looked back as her wings were coated with a light metal and she turned back towards the shuttle, seeing Tali and Liara adjusting their weapons. A chill shivered up her spine and she shuddered. Guns always made her uneasy but she pushed it aside, stepping into the shuttle.

"Tell the Commander we have business that needs attending to, he'll be surprised when we bring Becca and Garrus back," Cloudwisper said.

"Roger that," Joker said and Cortez started the shuttle up and they flew out. Cloudwisper sat down on the floor of the shuttle as it rocked.

"Be careful down there Chief, dust storms could come out of nowhere," Cortez said.

"Cloudwisper, I have scanned the planet and found a hidden base underground. I am sending the coordinates to the entrance, proceed with caution," EDI said over the comm and Cloudwisper nodded. The shuttle landed and Cloudwisper programed her helmet to form and she stepped off the shuttle and out into the wasteland before them. Tali and Liara stepped down as well, Tali with her old environmental suit on and Liara with her usual mask that covers her nose and mouth.

"Alright you two, stay alert and keep an eye out in case these mercs decide to dress Garrus and Becca in the same armor. Keep an eye out for any oncoming dust storms as well, its no wonder they have their base underground to avoid the storms. Let's move," Cloudwisper commanded and they set off across the rust surface of the planet until reaching the boundaries of the base. They ducked behind cover and examined the front of the base where mercs were standing around with their weapons drawn while they looked around.

"What do we do?" Tali asked. Cloudwisper observed the area carefully.

"Tali, your drone would be useful against these guys, Liara your biotics as well, they have good armor and shield coverage. I'm a combat expert, my ammo is my wings. Hmmm," Cloudwisper looked around and the cover they had behind crates and some low rock formations. "You two take cover behind that rock formation there, I'll get behind the crates. Do your best with your specialties and keep me covered until I get into place, we'll be swarmed when we get inside so be ready after this."

Tali and Liara nodded and the three followed through with the plan,Tali using Overload on enemy shields and Liara using warp against their armor. Cloudwisper made it to her cover and started launching metal feathers at the mercs and they fell one by one before it was quiet. "Alright lets go." They walked through the doors and into the underground base, seeking cover right away.

"Cloudwisper, can you get a sense of where Garrus and Becca are?" Liara asked and Cloudwisper shook her head.

"No, we'll just have to look around, the base isn't too big so we'll just take out the mercs here and check every cell that's here," Cloudwisper answered.

"Sounds like a plan," Tali said and she sent her drone out and it attacked some nearby mercs.

~oOo~

Garrus looked up at the door when he heard gunshots, but no alarms were going off. He roused Becca and her eyes flashed open, she reacted quickly and grabbed onto Garrus.

"Easy Becca, you're alright." Garrus said and he held her close while she shook. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Sorry," she said and looked towards the door. "Sounds like somebody infiltrated the base, you think Shepard found us?" The door slid open and there stood Tali and Liara.

"Found them!" Tali called out and Becca smiled, hoping to see Shepard run up when it was Cloudwisper.

"Get your helmets on and lets get the hell out of here!" Cloudwisper commanded and Garrus and Becca did so. Garrus gave Becca support and the ran out. "Cortez we need pick up now!" It wasn't long until the shuttle appeared and landed, the door opening and the five of them boarded it and they were off to the Normandy. Soon as they were settled, Becca wrapped Cloudwisper in a huge hug.

"I knew you would find us," Becca said.

"Nobody get's left behind. Oh Becca, this is Tali and Liara," Cloudwisper said, the said girl nodding their heads when their names were said. Becca held her arms open from her seat.

"Thank you, Joker has talked about you two before," Becca said and the two aliens hugged her.

Soon as the shuttle landed back on the Normandy, Garrus practically carried Becca to the med bay and Chakwas stood up from her desk.

"Becca! You're alright!" Chakwas said.

"Not even close doc, dislocated knee and multiple fractures in her legs, I scanned them when the mercs threw me in with her, her braces need repairs too," Garrus said and he set Becca on one of the tables.

"I'll have to do surgery then and fix the damage," Chakwas said and she carefully started taking pieces of Becca's armor off, setting them on the floor and handing her braces to Garrus. "Take these to Cortez please Garrus." Garrus took the braces but hesitated to leave.

"Garrus I'll be fine," Becca said, she reached her hand towards him and he took it for a moment before walking out.

"EDI, alert Shepard that we have Becca back and tell Dr. T'Soni I require her assistance," Chakwas said and it wasn't long until Liara walked into the room.

"Yes Dr. Chakwas?" Liara asked.

"Becca has fractures that need attending to before we can get her the proper care," Chakwas said.

"No!" Becca exclaimed. "You know how to do this stuff, just do it."

"Becca, Dr. Chakwas only has so much equipment here, we need to make a stop and get what she needs to completely fix the breaks," Liara said, trying to sooth the girl. Becca wrapped her arms around herself and she closed in on her self so to speak.

"I want Joker," Becca demanded in a whisper. Liara reached out towards her and Becca panicked. "Don't touch me!" Liara and Chakwas backed away from her carefully.

"Get Joker down here now, we won't get anywhere when she's like this," Chakwas whispered to Liara who jogged out of the med bay. Chakwas sat down carefully at her desk, watching Becca.

Joker limped into the med bay with Liara and Shepard right behind started towards Becca when Joker grabbed his arm. "Commander don't. I'm no shrink, but I can tell when somebody is dealing with PTSD," Joker said and Shepard backed away when Joker let him go.

Joker looked towards Becca and slowly started towards her on his standards. Becca watched him closely before reaching her arms out to him and he sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest, shaking.

"The fire...it won't go away..." Becca mumbled.

"Its ok Becca, you're safe with us. Me, Shepard, Liara, Dr. Chakwas, everybody. We won't let anybody hurt you ever again," Joker said and Becca nodded.

"Joker, her knee needs to be readjusted," Chakwas said and Joker nodded, looking down at Becca.

"Listen to me kid alright? Focus on me only, not on anybody else ok? It'll hurt, but nobody will judge you if you scream like a Banshee," Joker told Becca and she nodded.

He took her hand and nodded to Chakwas who knelt down in front of Becca, placing her hand on Becca's calf and slowly started to raise her leg, feeling for a moment before jerking her leg up. Becca's grip on Joker's hand tightened and she bit her lip, causing it to bleed and tears slid down her face. Joker wiped the tears away and Chakwas stood slowly, backing away.

"She is such a strong girl," Liara observed and Shepard crossed his arms, nodding.

"She always has been," Shepard said and the two stepped out of the med bay.

"Shepard, can you make sure nobody comes in here, I have to treat Becca's wounds," Chakwas asked and Shepard nodded as he walked out.

"Want me to go doc or can stay?" Joker asked.

"You can stay, just put these on," Chakwas said and handed a mask and a medical smock to Joker. He didn't argue and pulled the few things on. Chakwas pulled a needle from a drawer and filled it with a clear liquid.

"What's that?" Joker asked.

"An old medicine that puts patients under a deep sleep," Chakwas said and she started towards Becca slowly with the needle. Becca's eyes darted around before landing on the needle.

"Becca don't move," Joker said and Becca became tense. "Don't make me get Wrex and Grunt in here." Becca didn't seem like she would fight with the two of them until the needle was only an inch from her arm did she freak out. "Becca!" Joker complained and he tried to hold her, but squirming around the way she was, Joker had to back off and Chakwas did the same. Joker limped out to the door of the med bay. "Commander get in here." Shepard shrugged and followed him in.

"What's the problem?" Shepard asked.

"Hold her please," Joker said and Shepard didn't argue with that, not having to worry about easily broken bones he managed to get a grip on Becca and Chakwas managed to find a vein and inject the medicine into Becca's system. Shepard held onto her until she passed out.

"Thank you Commander," Chakwas said and Shepard walked out, sighing to himself.

"That girl has been through so much," Shepard mumbled to himself and his thoughts wandered.

* * *

**And that is that. Hope to hear from you guys this time around and in the future. Anyway, see you guys next Saturday.**


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